Sheet-assembling machine.



H. M. BARBER.

SHEET ASSEMBLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, 1913.

Patented Oct. 13, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHUTO-LITHQ, WASHING roN. D. c.

H. M. BARBER.

SHEET ASSBMBLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 313.12, 1913.

1,1 1 3,735. Patented Oct. 13, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. FHOTU-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. D, C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

HOWARD M. BARBER, or s'roivriveroiv, CONNECTICUT, .ASSIGNOR T0 c. B. GOTTRELL & sons COMPANY, on NEW YORK, N. Y; A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY.

SHEET-ASSEMBLING MACHINE.

Specification of- Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 13, 1914.

Application filed February 12, 1913. Serial No. 748,039.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HOWARD M. BARBER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Stonington, in the county of New London and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sheet- Assembling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in sheet associating mechanism and it has for its object to provide novel and effective means for associating sheets cut from webs traveling at different speeds.

This invention comprises means for cutting sheets from a web running at a certain speed, means for cutting sheets from a web running at a slower speed and means for bringing the speed of the sheets cut from the slower running web up to the speed of the sheets cut from the faster run ning web to be associated together and, if so desired, subjected to a folding operation before delivery.

The present invention is shown in connection with an associating machine in which three narrow webs slit from the faster running web are brought together and cut transversely into groups of sheets,

two of such groups of sheets collected, and a sheet cut from the slower running web associated therewith. The parts are herein shown as timed so that the slow running web travels at one-half the speed of the fast running web. The fast running Web will be referred to as the main web and the slow running web as the supplement web.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which a Figure 1 represents in side elevation so much of a sheet associating and folding machine as will give a clear understanding of my invention, Fig. 2 is a cross section taken in the planes of the lines A-A of Fig. 1,

' looking in the direction of the arrows, Fig.

3 is a detail view showing more clearly the geared connection between the supplement sheet transfer mechanism and the rotary cutters which operate on the supplement web, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic vertical section taken from front to rear through the machine to show the relative positions of the several operative parts, Fig. 5 is a detail section showing a part of the cam mechanism for controlling the collection and assembling of the main and supplement sheets, Fig. 6 is a similar View of a further part of said cam mechanism, and Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view showing the folding jaws ofthe female folding cylinder.

The three superposed narrow webs which have been slit from the main web are denoted by 1, 2, 3, which webs are fed into the associating machine by the coacting feed rollers 4, 5. The supplement web is denoted by 6 and it is fed into the machine by the coacting feed rollers 7 8.

A pair of coacting rotary cutters 9, 10, are arranged to cut the superposed main webs 1, 2, 8, transversely into groups of three sheets each, which groups pass downwardly through guides 11, 12, to the collecting and folding cylinder 13. This cylinder 13 is shown herein as being provided with three sets of grippers 1e, 15, 16, and three intermediate tucking blades 17 18, 19, which blades are arranged to successively fold off the collectedmain and supplement sheets to the folding cylinder 20 by coaction to deliver the supplement sheets to the cylind'er27, which, in turn, coacts with the collecting and folding cylinder 13 to deliver the supplement sheets at the proper intervals to the collected groups of main web sheets. The grippers on the cylinder 26 are denoted by 28 and the grippers on the cylinder 27 are denoted by 29. Pressure rollers 13* are arranged to hold the first group of main press sheets in register while the grippers are opened to receive the second group of mainpress sheets and the supplement sheet.

The supplement sheettransfer mechanism is arranged to take the advance edge of the supplement web at the speed of the web before the sheet is cut therefrom and transfer the sheetto the cylinder 26 at the speed of the main web, which transfer mechanism is ofthe main web, which cylinder is arranged constructed, arranged-and operated as follows: An endless carrier comprises a pair of chains arranged to travel at the speed of the supplement web in a partly curved and partly rectilinear path around the sprocket wheels 31, 32. This endless-chain carrier is provided with one or more sets of grippers 33, in the present instance two sets of such grippers are shown, which grippers are spaced outwardly from said endless chain carrier a distance suflicient to cause the said grippers to travel in the curved portions of their path at the speed of the main web. The parts are so arranged that the grippers 33 are caused to engage the advance edge of the supplement web as the. grippers enter upon the rectilinear portion of their travel at the speed of the supplement Web and to transfer the supplement sheet to the cylinder 26 during the curved portion of their travel at the speed of the main web. Feed pulleys 34 are herein shown as arranged to coact with the grippers 33 at the guides 24, 25, to insure the grasping of the advance edge of the supplement web by said grippers. It is to be noted that the speed of the supplement sheet is immediately accelerated to the speed of the main web sheetas the grippers on the sheet transfer mechanism enter thecurved portion of their travel. A broken cylinder 33* is fixed to travel with the sprocket 31, the periphery of which cylinder serves as a support for the supplement sheets as they pass through the guides 24, 25, to the cylinder 26.

A fixed cam 35 is arranged in position to operate the grippers to receive the advance edge of the supplement web and a fixed cam 35* is shown for operating the grippers 33 to transfer the supplement sheet to the grippers 28. A fixed cam 36 is shown for operating the grippers 28 to receive the supplement sheet from the grippers 33 and fixed cams 37, 38, are shown in position to operate the grippers 28 and 29 for transferring the supplement sheet from the cylinder 26 to grippers 29 of the cylinder 27.

A fixed cam 39 is shown in position to operate the grippers 29 to transfer the supplement sheet at the proper time to one of the sets of grippers on the collecting and folding cylinders 13. A fixed cam 40 is arranged in position to successively operate the grippers 14, 15 and 16 to collect two groups of main web sheets and a supplement sheet. A movable cam 41 controlled from a rotary cam 42 on the shaft 43 of the cylinder 20 is arranged to successively open the grippers 14, 15, 16, every second revolution of the cylinder 13 to permit the folding off ofthe collected groups of main and supplement sheets.

The folding jaws 21 of the female folding cylinder 20 are floated by the cam 44. These grippersare opened at the time of the folding operation by the fixed cam 45 and are opened at the time of delivery by the fixed cam 46. The folded product may be delivered by any desired mechanism, that shown herein comprising an endless delivery carrier 47, a dropper mechanism 48 and endless tape carriers 49, 50, and their pulleys for delivering the product from the cylinder 20 to the dropper delivery 48.

The geared connection between the several parts is as follows: The drive shaft is denoted by 51 and its gear 52 drives the gears 53 on the shaft 54 of the cylinder 26. This gear 53 drives the gear 54* on the shaft 55 of the cylinder 27 and the gear 56 on the shaft 57 of the sprocket 31. The gear 54* drives the gear 58 on the shaft 59 of the collecting and folding cylinder 13, which gear 58 drives the gear 60 on the shaft 43 of the female folding cylinder 20. This gear 60 drives the gears 61, 62, 63, 64, of the tape carriers 49, 50. The feed rolls 4 and 5 are driven from the gear 58 through the train of gears 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, the gear 66 being fixed on the shaft 71 of the rotary cutter 9. The gear 56* on the shaft 57 drives the gear 72 on the shaft 73 of the sprocket wheel 32. The feed rollers 7 and 8 are driven from the gear 72 through the gears 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, and the gear 75 being on the shaft 80 of the rotary cutter 23. The feed rollers 34 are driven from the gear 74 through the gears 81, 82.

IVhile I have shown a plurality of main webs as being fed into the machine and a single supplement web as being fed into the machine, it is to be understood that I do not wish to limit myself to any particular number of webs of either character. It is also to be understood that the cylinder 13 does not necessarily have to be a collecting cylinder. Furthermore, I wish it to be understood that by the term cylinder I mean to include any means for carrying the sheets through the prescribed paths and by the term grippers I mean to include any suitable sheet taking and holding devices.

In operation, the main press webs are fed by the rollers 4 and 5 to the rotary cutters 9, 10. The sheets, in the present instance, are collected in two groups of three each on the cylinder 13. In the meantime, the supplement web is fed by the rollers 7, 8, through the rotary cutters 22, 23. The leading edge of the supplement web is seized by one of the sets of grippers 33 of the sheet transfer mechanism as the grippers enter their rectilinear movement, which movement is at the speed of the supplement web. As the grippers enter upon their curved movement around the sprocket 31 the supplement sheet which has been cut from the web is immediately accelerated to the speed of the main webs and while the supplement sheet is traveling at this increased speed, it is transferred to the cylinder 26, which, in turn, transfers the sheet to the cylinder 27 and finally the supplement sheet is transferred to a collection of two groups of three main pres sheets at the cylinder 13. The so collected main press and supplement sheets are folded off to the cylinder 20 and are delivered therefrom by the tape carriers 49, 50, to the dropper delivery 4-8 and from thence to the endless delivery carrier 4-7. a

It will be seen from the above description that the speed of the sheets cut from the slower moving web may be increased to the speed of the sheets cut from the faster moving web without changing the speed of the endless carrier for the slower sheet transfer grippers, said endless carrier being caused to travel at a constant speed equal to that of the speed of the slower moving web.

t is to be understood that the supplement sheets, so called, may be either insert or cover sheets.

What I claim is 1. In a sheet assembling machine, a sheet feeding device traveling at one speed, a sheetreceiving device traveling at a higher speed and a sheet transfer mechanism including an endless carrier driven at a constant speed and sheet engaging device carried thereby traveling at the speed of the sheet feeding device to take a sheet therefrom and traveling at the speed of the sheet receiving device to transfer the sheet thereto.

9. In a sheet assembling machine, a sheet feeding vdevice traveling at one speed, a sheet receiving device arranged to travel at a higher speed and a sheet transfer mecha nism including an endless carrier driven at a constant speed in a partly rectilinear and partly curved path and a sheet engaging device carried thereby arranged to take the sheet during a rectilinear portion of its travel at the speed of the sheet feedingde+ vice and to transfer the sheet during a curved portion of its travel at the speed of the sheet receiving device.

3. In a sheet assembling machine, a sheet feeding device arranged to travel at one speed, a sheet. receiving device arranged to travel at a higher speed and a sheet transfer mechanism including a sheet engaging de- 'ice traveling in a partly rectilinear and Jartlv curved aath and arran ed to take 1 .1 a

the sheet during a rectilinear portion of its travel at the speed of the sheet feeding device and to transfer the sheet during a curved portion of its travel at the speed of the sheet receiving device.

In asheet assembling machine, a power operated sheet feeding device, a rotary sheet receiving device and a sheet transfer mechanism including an endless carrier traveling in a partly rectilinear and partly curved path and a sheet engaging device carried thereby arranged to take the sheet curved path and arranged to take the sheet during a rectilinear portion of its travel from the power operated sheet feeding device and to transfer the sheet during a curved portion of its travel to the rotary sheet receiving device.

6. In a sheet assembling machine, a main sheet feeding device traveling at a certain speed, a supplement sheet receiving device traveling at the same speed, a supplement sheet feeding device traveling at a slower speed and a supplement sheet transfer mech- ;anism including an endless carrier driven constantly at the speed of the supplement sheet in a partly rectilinear and partly curved path and a sheet engaging device carried thereby arranged to take the supple- Vment sheet at the speed of its feeding de vice during a rectilinear portion of its travel and to transfer the supplement sheet to the sheet receiving device during a curved portion of its travel at the speed of the sheet receiving device.

7 In a sheet assembling machine, a main sheet feeding device traveling at a certain speed, a supplement sheet receiving device traveling at the same speed, a supplement sheet feeding device traveling at a lower speed and a supplement sheet transfer mechanism including a sheet engaging device traveling in a partly rectilinear and partly curved ath and arranged to take the supplement s eet during a rectilinear portion of its travel at the speed of the supplement sheet feeding ole vice and to transfer the supplement sheet during a curved portion of its travel at the speed of the supplement sheet receiving devlce.

8. In a sheet assembling machine, a sheet transfer mechanism including an endless carrier arranged to travel at a constant speed in a partly rectilinear and partly curved path, a sheet engaging device carried by and spaced a distance outwardly from said carrier whereby the devicewill travel at one speed in a rectilinear portion of its travel and at a higher speed during a the sheet engaging device during a rectilinear portion of its travel and a rotary sheet receiving devlce arranged to coact with the sheet engaging device during a curved portion of its travel.

- 10. lnasheet assembling machine, a main web traveling at a certain speed, means for cutting sheets therefrom, a supplement web traveling at a slower speed, means for cutting sheets therefrom and means for bringing the speed of the supplement sheets up to the speed of the main sheets comprising a sheet engaging device and traveling in a rectilinear path at the speed of the supplement web and in a curved path at the speed of the main web.

11. In a sheet assembling machine, a main web traveling at a certain speed, means for cutting sheets therefrom, a supplement sheet traveling at a slower speed, means for outting sheets therefrom, means for bringing the speed of the supplement sheets up to the speed of the main sheets comprising a sheet engaging device traveling in a rectilinear path at the speed of the supplement web and in a curved path at the speed of the main web and means for collecting and assembling the main and supplement Webs.

12. In a sheet assembling machine, a sheet feeding device arranged to travel at one speed, a sheet receiving cylinder arranged to travel at a higher surface speed and a sheet transfer mechanism including a sheet engaging device arranged to travel in a rectilinear path at the speed of the sheet feeding device for taking a sheet and to travel in a curved path at the surface speedof the sheet receiving cylinder to transfer the sheet thereto.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two witnesses, this tenth day of February, A. D. 1913.

HOWARD M. BARBER.

Witnesses:

A. R. STILLMAN, E. M. GRANT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). O. 

